Change Agent: A Novel

New York Times best-selling author Daniel Suarez delivers an exhilarating sci-fi thriller exploring a potential future where CRISPR genetic editing allows the human species to control evolution itself. On a crowded train platform, Interpol agent Kenneth Durand feels the sting of a needle - and his transformation begins....

After On: A Novel of Silicon Valley

Meet Phluttr - a diabolically addictive new social network and a villainess, heroine, enemy, and/or bestie to millions. Phluttr has ingested every fact and message ever sent to, from, and about her innumerable users. Her capabilities astound her makers - and they don't even know the tenth of it. But what's the purpose of this stunning creation? Is it a front for something even darker and more powerful than the NSA?

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

You think you know how the world works? Think again. From best-selling author Neal Stephenson and critically acclaimed historical and contemporary novelist Nicole Galland comes a captivating and complex near-future thriller that questions the very foundations of the modern world. Magic has faded from the minds of mankind, until an encounter between Melisande Stokes, linguistics expert at Harvard, and Tristan Lyons, shadowy agent of government, leads to the uncovering of a distant past.

Earthcore

EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources, and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure. But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting...and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.

Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden.

The Game: The Game Is Life, Book 1

What if life as we know it was just a game? What if instead of traditional schools, children learned by participating in a virtual reality simulation, one that allowed them to experience "life" from birth to death - multiple times? What if one player, on his final play, could change the world forever?

The Three-Body Problem

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilisation on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them or to fight against the invasion.

Terradox

When a sudden impact sends a spacecraft bound for a distant research station hurtling toward a previously unseen and inexplicable planet, responsibility for the safety of its passengers immediately falls on Ivy 'Holly' Wood, a former poster child of the public space program now fleeing Earth's tyrannical leadership. The mysterious planet's startlingly Earth-like atmosphere initially breeds optimism among Holly's group of stranded survivors, but before long it becomes clear that Earth's rules don't apply.

Opening Moves: The Gam3, Book 1

The Earth is changing. The alien invasion brought social upheaval, advanced technology, and an armada of peacekeeping robots. But Alan, a college student pursuing a now-useless degree, cares little about all of this. He has only one thing on his mind: the Game. A fully immersive virtual reality, the Game appears to be a major part of the invading civilization. Alan can't wait to play, recklessly diving into the digital universe. Soon though, Alan realizes the Game is anything but simple, and the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.

Exigency

Nine brilliant scientists travel light-years on a one-way trip to an Earthlike planet. Their mission is to study from orbit the two species of intelligent lifeforms on the surface. The first: an isolated people embarking on civilization and building their world's first city. The second: a brutal race of massive predators, spread thick and still growing across the dominant landmass - destined to breed and eat their way to extinction within a few centuries.

Solitude: Dimension Space, Book 1

Separated by the gulf of space, the last man and woman of the human race struggle against astronomical odds to survive and unite. Army Aviator Vaughn Singleton is a highly intelligent, lazy man. After a last-ditch effort to reignite his failing military career ends horribly, Vaughn becomes the only human left on Earth. Stranded alone on the International Space Station, Commander Angela Brown watches an odd wave of light sweep across the planet.

The Collapsing Empire: The Interdependency, Book 1

Our universe is ruled by physics, and faster-than-light travel is not possible - until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transports us to other worlds, around other stars. Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It's a hedge against interstellar war - and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.

Cast Under an Alien Sun: Destiny's Crucible, Book 1

Joe Colsco boarded a flight from San Francisco to Chicago to attend a national chemistry meeting. He would never set foot on Earth again. On planet Anyar, Joe is found unconscious on a beach of a large island inhabited by humans where the level of technology is similar to Earth circa 1700. He awakes amid strangers speaking an unintelligible language and struggles to accept losing his previous life and finding a place in a society with different customs, needing a way to support himself and not knowing a single soul.

Deadwood, USA. A girl sneaks out just before dark to ride her new bike. Suddenly, the ground disappears beneath her. Waking up at the bottom of a deep pit, she sees an emergency rescue team above her. The people looking down see something far stranger.... That girl grows up to be Dr. Rose Franklin, a brilliant scientist and the leading world expert on what she discovered.

Run Program

What's worse than a child with a magnifying glass, a garden full of ants, and a brilliant mind full of mischief? Try Al, a well-meaning but impish artificial intelligence with the mind of a six-year-old and a penchant for tantrums. Hope Takeda, a lab assistant charged with educating and socializing Al, soon discovers that day care is a lot more difficult when your kid is an evolving and easily frightened A.I.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet: Wayfarers 1

Firefly meets Mass Effect in this thrilling self-published debut! When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that's seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past. But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer.

The World Walker: The World Walker Series, Book 1

Just outside Los Angeles, a prisoner hidden away for 70 years sits up, gets off the bed and disappears through a solid wall. In Australia, a magician impresses audiences by producing real elephants. Nobody realizes it's not an illusion. Across the world, individuals and organizations with supernatural power suddenly detect the presence of something even they can't understand. At the center of it all, Seb Varden, a 32-year old musician with a secret in his past, slits his wrists, is shot dead and run over on the freeway.

Dark Matter

'Are you happy in your life?' Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he wakes to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before the man he's never met smiles down at him and says, 'Welcome back, my friend.' In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Ninefox Gambit

To win an impossible war, Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general.

Captain Kel Cheris of the Hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris' career isn't the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the Hexarchate itself might be next.

Not Alone

When Dan McCarthy stumbles upon a folder containing evidence of the conspiracy to end all conspiracies - a top-level alien cover-up - he leaks the files without a second thought. The incredible truth revealed by Dan's leak immediately captures the public's imagination, but Dan's relentless commitment to exposing the cover-up and forcing disclosure quickly earns him some enemies in high places.

Extracted: Extracted, Book 1

In 2061 a young scientist invents a time machine to fix a tragedy in his past. But his good intentions turn catastrophic when an early test reveals something unexpected: the end of the world. A desperate plan is formed: recruit three heroes, ordinary humans capable of extraordinary things, and change the future.

Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.

Renegade: Spiral Wars, Book 1

One thousand years after Earth was destroyed in an unprovoked attack, humanity has emerged victorious from a series of terrible wars to assure its place in the galaxy. But during celebrations on humanity's new Homeworld, the legendary Captain Pantillo of the battle carrier Phoenix is court-martialed then killed, and his deputy, Lieutenant Commander Erik Debogande, the heir to humanity's most powerful industrial family, is framed with his murder.

Publisher's Summary

"Nexus is the most brilliant hard SF thriller I’ve read in years. It’s smart, it’s gripping, and it describes a chilling reality that is all-too-plausible. Ramez Naam is a name to watch for." (Brenda Cooper, author of The Silver Ship and the Sea and The Creative Fire Mankind Gets an Upgrade)

In the near future, the nano-drug Nexus can link mind to mind. There are some who want to improve it. There are some who want to eradicate it. And there are others who just want to exploit it. When a young scientist is caught improving Nexus, he’s thrust over his head into a world of danger and international espionage, with far more at stake than anyone realizes.

For the early chapters of the book I felt both the author and narrator were struggling to find their feet and I didn't find it easy to immerse myself in the tale but knowing now that they both hit their stride I'd go back and re-visit those early chapters.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book has made me re-evaluate some human concepts that I simply took for granted, it makes you think a little outside of the human comfort zone in a way that not even another sci-fi book has done before.

Any additional comments?

Stick with it if like me you find the early chapters a little less than stellar - it improves significantly as the book goes on. I'm halfway through the sequel now and it's excellent.

Seems to paint a future not too far away but with profound consequences for Man. The technology explored seems plausible and the way people/societies react to it equally so, That's what made this a great read for me.

What other book might you compare Nexus to, and why?

Can't compare it to anything else I've read, it was quite refreshing.

Have you listened to any of Luke Daniels’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not sure I've heard Luke before, but he did a great job characterising the various players, really brought the story to life for me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Rather than a book that I listened to "as and when" I had the chance, I made time to listen once I got hooked into it. That's rare for me.

The majority of this book is a series of needlessly brutal, utterly pointless, depressing, forgettable fights. Listening on the train, I fell asleep during yet another gratuitous firefight in which the main characters are beaten to bloody pulps yet again. I woke up 20 minutes later, the same firefight is still going. Nothing of consequence has happened, but a lot of blood has been spilled and apparently that's the main thing that happens in the technologically-augmented future: suffering and tedious fights.

I have three hours left now, and I'm going to have to leave this. I hate not finishing a book, but this is just crushingly depressing, utterly needless, constant suffering. The moment you think you might start to care about a character (not a lot), that's because they're about to suffer and / or die. The possibilities of the technology are barely explored - where they are, it's in a tropey, hardly-veiled-drugs-metaphor way, then boom, a wall explodes and in come the soldiers for another big bloodletting.

It seems that 'thriller' means 'constant fighting'. Good scifi tries to look at what the core premise might do to transfigure the world. In this book, you could swap 'nexus' for 'cocaine' in about 90% of the scenes, motivations and character actions. Massive let down.

I wanna live longer to see the contents of this book in real life. Amazing book which is written by knowledgeable writer. I wish soon we discover these sciences, there is more of good humanity in us than bad!

It jsut lost me, it's not a rubbish book or story but it just did not engage me.. 60 mins left and we'll I cannot be bothered to finish it.. The general idea of the book was good but just did not deliver

The good:* Excellent opening, chapters, starting at a californian rave and spreading across the planet.* Fresh idea of post-human intelligence; The Silicon valley trans-humanists übermenschen are dismissed in a single line in favour of more subtle, collective models of mind enhancing technology* some fun parallels between various religions and various approaches to posthuman intelligence (theravada buddhism and christianity mostly)* very contemporary flavour of technological speculation; more or less, some ravers port linux to run on brains, and consequences ensue when wider society gains interest in the diabolical applications of the technology. Absolute candy for today's crypto-nerds.

The bad:* characters feel a little flat. The cast might be laudably multinational, but most characters substitute an ethnicity for a personality: Japanese sensei skimming stones while talking in metaphors... Loyal magical negro who would sacrifice everything to help the white protagonist... revolutionary Russian immigrant who write political tracts about how american security obsession is eroding liberty. etc. The privileged white male protagonist is a little too bland to be relatable; the female secret agent is a little better, but the childhood trauma reliving scene (won't say any more to avoid spoilers) was a little forced and clean-cut to keep me convinced* very filmic violence; Every time someone falls over, their gun lands just out of reach and there is always time to step on their hand before they reach it, and so on. Plot would be improved if every character in this book invested in some velcro straps.* plot is rip-roaring but not satisfying; while the philosophical themes the author starts with are hella fun and could really go somewhere wild, most of the action thereafter is driven by the more traditional plot mechanics of a covert military team doing covert military things with lots of filmic violence

Overall I enjoyed this book, but found the earnestness and unidimensionality of the characters a bit of a drag, and the plot was gripping enough, but without doing the subject matter justice.

This feels like a first novel. I'm excited by a lot of the world the author has built, and the author is presumably still honing his craft; interested to see where he is going with his career.

p.s. the reader was enthusiastic but *ooh*, some of those accents were a little awkward.

83 of 88 people found this review helpful

Jim "The Impatient"

Springfield, MO, United States

13/01/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"SERENITY PACKAGE"

Nuts and BoltsI like tech books for the wonder of science and what it can accomplish. I don't care to hear about how everything works. This book concentrated on the nuts and bolts too much for my tastes. As mentioned by other reviewers, the characters in this book are flat. Another reviewer mentions that Naam has a bright future and I agree, but I was bored by this book.

33 of 35 people found this review helpful

Amy

Granite Falls, NC, USA

23/11/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"The Post-human Future is Now"

This first-in-a-series novel is Ramez Naam's fiction follow-up to his nonfiction works such as More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement (in which he argues that one day we will view genetic modification and other post-human advances as commonplace). It's fitting, then, that in this novel he portrays a recognizable near-future (beginning in 2040) in which post-humans are a reality. This is definitely a dystopia, but it shows none of the tired technophobia so rampant in the genre. The science isn't the cause of evil; the regimes that seek to limit it are.

In Nexus -- as in the real world -- science is amoral, capable of being greatly used and abused. Naam's larger point is that change will happen, and governments are not only unjust but also unrealistic when they act to suppress it. The best case scenario -- that is, the most innovative, helpful, and exciting uses of technology, including the nano-drug described in this novel -- will only arise in an environment of freedom.

His suggestion that the United States would be dreadfully behind the global curve on allowing such freedom is, I fear, not implausible.

I'm not a great fan of fast-paced action-thrillers that rely on explosions and fight sequences to get from Point A to Point B. That said, Naam's writing is solid enough for this genre, and I found the action less eyeroll-worthy than I could have, thanks to the compelling core of ideas at the heart of this work. Naam never loses sight of the Big Picture, and it's a very important one.

The narration is mostly acceptable. Sometimes the Asian characters sound a bit like racial clichés, however, which is off-putting, and the most "badass" (for lack of a better word) character sounds like a cartoon. A word of warning: the sequel is performed by another narrator, and he pronounces some of the names of main characters completely differently. That does not make for a smooth listening experience transitioning from one book to the next!

I'll let Nexus character Ilyana Alexander's final recorded message speak for this novel:

"By drawing a box around humanity, those in power are telling each of us what we can and can't do with our minds, with our bodies, and in the interests of our children. They're saying that they're smarter than we are, that we need their protection from ourselves.

"Needless to say, I disagree....

"The laws that limit human capabilities are exercises in control. They stem from fear -- fear of the future, fear of change, fear of people who might be different than we are, who might make themselves into something new. The result of that fear is the corrosion of our liberties, the corrosion of our right to determine our own futures, to chart our own destinies, to do the best we can for our children.

"That corrosion has consequences. If you're watching this, it's had consequences for me."

26 of 30 people found this review helpful

CSoAmazon

Spring, Texas, United States

06/01/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Why didnt I listen to this sooner?"

Any additional comments?

I purchased this book two months before I listened to it. I was suprised how soon I was cought up in the story line. Excelent reader, and story make for a wonderful time. I have already started the second book. Great example of near future sci-fi!

17 of 20 people found this review helpful

Sarra

SEATTLE, WA, United States

04/08/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Exciting, engaging and thought-provoking"

Nexus explores the best and worst in humanity, as the characters and organizations struggle to make sense of emerging technologies. Naam's characterizations feel very real- from the sensual joy and emotional fulfillment of connection to the murderous rage or chilling certainty of a soldier doing her job. There are no one-dimensional characters here, which made me connect with all of them, even while I disagreed with some. The story is fast-paced and thought provoking. I couldn't help but wonder what I would do with the technology presented within. The book left me with excitement and optimism for where humanity can go, tempered with a clear understanding of how things can go wrong. Not bad for a sci-fi thriller! I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.

The narrator did an admirable job with an international set of characters. A few of his voices were a bit annoying but it makes for a very diverse world so I think those were actually great choices.

Overall, it was an excellent story combined with a great narrator. Sci-fi fans will love it, and Naam makes the technical details easy for anyone to understand, so I believe that it can have an even wider audience. A great, thought-provoking read, highly recommended!

16 of 19 people found this review helpful

bionichands

washington, d.c. area

05/08/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"I love sci-fi. This is NOT a five star book."

Would you try another book from Ramez Naam and/or Luke Daniels?

Not sure.

What was most disappointing about Ramez Naam’s story?

I was pretty disappointed in NEXUS, especially considering some of the endorsements this book has received. My biggest disappointment was that the beginning of the book sets the story up really well. The entire into to what NEXUS is, the characters, how things work, what they're capable of on the drug was really compelling and interesting.

And THEN the characters go to Thailand and things just become a mess.

Seriously, I just could not follow it. The two main characters go to a trade show in Thailand and what ensues is an endless stream of new characters, kind of boring gun battles, trippy mind melds, and characters who inexplicably keep changing their core beliefs. I really could not wait to be finished with this.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was mostly good except for the voice he uses for this one Chinese clone special forces character. I mean, I know the guy is Chinese, but he is also supposed to be this laboratory created special forces military man. Why does he sound like the most hilarious chinese waiter/Bruce Lee's opponent's henchman?

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was a really good idea that just doesn't deliver the good in the overall story.

Any additional comments?

I had a hard time not turning this off and couldn't wait to get to the end. I think some of the stream of conciousness/group mind stuff was just especially tough to follow in the audio format.

41 of 51 people found this review helpful

Timbolicus Prime

Philadelphia, Pa

26/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Meh. Just couldn't finish it"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The performance was rather boring. He did an ok job with the voices, but it was just not up to my expectations, which threw the story off.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ramez Naam? Why or why not?

Yes, if the narrator was different

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Used better inflection, tone, and personality. He's got a voice for radio and narration of non-fiction, but it was monotone and dull.

Was Nexus worth the listening time?

Yes and no. The concept and ideas introduced were great and I had high hopes, but just didn't feel compelled to finish it.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

Claudia H

Philadelphia, PA

06/07/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Overall win"

Would you listen to Nexus again? Why?

Nope. I thought the book was good overall, but nothing about it was extraordinary or noteworthy enough to warrant a second listen.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I didn't leave feeling as desperate to get to the next book as I have in other series. It wasn't much of a cliff-hanger

Any additional comments?

I liked the concept of the story, the near future in which computers can be integrated into your brain, and the big brother trying to restrict it, it has potential.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Freeman

SAN DIEGO, CA, United States

18/05/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"what a great surprise!"

this is a great sci-fi book with some action and fun characters. it kept me interested in finding out what happens next throughout the book.in addition to the book being fun, it presents a question of what would we do if we (humans) had this technology. i can't wait to read the sequel.if this book reminds me of influx, daemon and freedom TM. (highly recommended.)

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Benjamin D. Mathes

10/06/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Interesting premise, too much "tell""

Sentence by sentence, the author first shows you their ideas, and then explains it explicitly, redundantly.

Makes for a decent young adult cyberpunk novel if you haven't read one about "what does humanity do if tech can make just some of us hyper-evolved?"

10 of 13 people found this review helpful

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